Across the Fence
by Bill Rinehart
Roundup 2003
Annual fall roundup for the bison herd at The Nature Conservancy’s Prairie Preserve began in late October of 2003. For the second year in a row, feed trucks were used to entice the bison into the east side of the bison unit using 20% protein range cubes. When conventional ATV-based roundup began on November 5, approximately 90% of the herd already had been baited in. By November 12, the herd had been moved into the traps next to the corrals. Except for the short baiting period and the time the herd is in the corrals, where they are fed prairie hay, the herd continues to receive no food supplementation.
Bob Hamilton, assistant director and director of science and stewardship for the preserve, reported that 2,211 bison were worked through the corral
 in the corral |
The only time an accurate count can be made of the year’s calf crop is at roundup. During 2003, a total of 598 calves were born – 305 heifers and 293 bulls. These calves were produced by 763 females of reproductive age resulting in a 78% weaned calf crop. Following roundup, 336 animals were sold. They consisted of 60 cull heifers, 26 old bulls, 107 2.5-year old bulls and 63 yearling bulls that were sold by sealed bid and private treaty to five independent bison producers in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. In addition, 37 old cows and 43 4.5-year old cows were sold at the Kansas Buffalo Association auction in Salina,KS on December 6, 2003.
The overall average price for bison sold from the preserve was $303 per head - $348 for males and $259 for females. These prices reflect a modest gain over the previous year, but still far below what bison brought a few years ago when a bred cow brought as much as $3,000 and an open cow around $2,000. Bulls used to bring considerably less than females, but the last couple of years they have brought on average more than the females. In the past, bulls were typically the weaker link economically, but today’s buyers still seem willing to bid higher on breeding and feeder class bulls.
No trades or purchases of bison were made this past fall to add to the herd. The Conservancy’s Adopt-a-Bison program will help fund roundup costs and the cost of the 10.5-mile perimeter fencing project that will allow the next addition to the bison unit. When fencing is completed early this year, the 14,389-acre bison unit will be expanded by another 7,016 acres. The cattle unit correspondingly will be decreased from its current 19, 853 to 12,837 acres.
Hamilton says the long-term bison-cattle plan was revised in the fall of 2002, and now calls for 10,100 acres to be devoted to cattle grazing and applied research while the bulk of the rest of the preserve will be managed with bison. The year-round bison unit will eventually occupy 24,800 acres (2,600 head in summer with calves), with an additional 2,278 acres used only in the fall for holding the herd during roundup. Hamilton says the preserve is on track to reach its target summertime bison herd size by the fall of 2006. Also by that time, the bison unit will have been increased to its target acreage. Also projected is an eventual over-wintering bison herd of 1,950 head.
After roundup and the herd stabilized from the sale of excess animals, 1,863 bison comprise this year’s over-wintering herd. Anticipating a year 2004 calf crop of some 600 calves, the herd should number about 2,460 head this summer.
As reported in a previous article, the reason for reducing the projected size of the bison unit from 30,400 acres to 24,800 acres was the result of encouraging results from a two-year collaborative cattle patch burn research study on the preserve with Oklahoma State University plus the desire to invest even more landscape in the effort to export conservation friendly cattle grazing models to the ranching industry. Study results influenced the decision to increase the ultimate size of the cattle grazing area from 3,100 acres to 10,100 acres.
The roundup and corral working crew typically consisted of seven preserve staff members, four local day-help cowboys, and two Conservancy personnel from the Oklahoma Chapter who ran the computer on corral working days. Roundup 2003 was the 10th annual roundup during which herd working went very smoothly. The use of feed trucks to reduce animal stress and potential injury to personnel and equipment during roundup worked very well for the second straight year.
Hamilton says the corral system continues to work extremely well, and the Conservancy staff has learned how to move the animals through roundup with the least amount of stress. Average processing time through the squeeze chute was 57 adults per hour and 66 calves per hour. Modifications to the corral complex in 2003 included the construction of three 1 to 5-acre holding pens adjacent to the corral on the north side. These new pens worked well for holding animals in a low-stress, native prairie environment.
In the course of doing business on the preserve some animals will be lost to natural and un-natural causes and to known and unknown reasons. One statistic that seems to standout, however, is the fact that during 2003, five bison were lost as the result of vehicle collisions on the county road. As the bison herd grows in number, more of the animals will chance to occupy the road when least expected. All animals are more difficult to see at night since other than the retinas of their eyes they have no light reflectors. On the open range particularly it helps for everyone to have an attitude of “safety first”.